The Pull (The Emanation Saga Book 1)

by R. J. Lloyd

She shook her head. “Weirdo.”

  “One of my many charms.” He winked.

  One of the things that Eva had found interesting about their dream world was that things didn’t always start off as they preferred; as in the fridge and food pantries being empty in that case. But all she would have to do was be sure Ian wasn’t looking, close her eyes and will it to change. When her eyes opened, things would be as she envisioned. As they did for him as well.

  “That’s a lot of food.” He blinked. “You don’t plan to feed everyone here, do you?”

  She looked around. “As a matter of fact, I do … considering we are the only ones here.”

  “You have a point.” He smirked.

  Eva cooked several dishes, anxiously awaiting his reaction to each one. Another peculiar thing about their world was that they never felt hungry, but they never got full either. The desire to eat was always for something to do, nothing more. Something to enjoy. If they wanted to devour ten whole meals, they could. And in their dream world, they could make every one of those ten meals taste like the most amazing dish they’d ever eaten.

  Then, there was the whole time thing. Time was always strange. Some dreams, she could compare her time with him to the hours she had slept. Others, they would have days or just mere minutes.

  That night? Time was fairly comparable. She knew the dream was coming to an end when she started feeling the familiar tugging from reality.

  “It’s time, huh?” he asked, seeing her smile drop.

  She nodded. “It seems so.”

  He stood and wrapped his arms around her. “Tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow.” She smiled.

  Waking that morning wasn’t any easier than it had been the previous day. Or several days before that even. It seemed like regaining consciousness each morning was getting more and more difficult, as was getting motivated to do much of anything other than go back to sleep. But as she had found out by trial and error, he was always gone by the time she fell back asleep in the same night.

  Michelle called from the living room, revealing what had pulled her from her slumber so abruptly, “Hey, woman! Don’t forget we have a meeting with Tilly and Crown today on the Bernard account.”

  “Should I even go then? You usually have Mr. Tilly pretty well handled,” Eva shouted back.

  “Don’t be a jerk!” Michelle appeared in the bedroom doorway. “I need you to field Mr. Crown.”

  Eva fell back against her pillow. “Oh, joy.”

  Reluctantly, Eva pried herself out of bed and got ready, not really putting much effort into her makeup, hair and attire as Michelle had. But then again, even without Ian on her mind, Eva had given that competition up years before.

  The morning meeting was less filled with getting work done than it was with Michelle trying to hint that Mr. Tilly should take her out. He was the newly divorced co-owner of Tilly & Crown Enterprises, and Michelle constantly looked in all the wrong places for what she thought she wanted. Eva was confident Michelle wasn’t interested in him as much as in his bank account.

  After the meeting, Eva went to her office and locked the door, completely uninterested in hearing Michelle squeal about getting his number. She had some catching up on the project to do, having fallen behind because of aiding her friend’s flirtations. And the work itself felt like a much-needed mental cleanse of the unwanted flirtations from Mr. Crown.

  “Sometimes I think she forgets I’m a project manager and not a P.R. rep like her,” Eva mumbled to herself as she worked on a spreadsheet. “Priorities, Michelle. Priorities.”

  “You’re one to speak, Eva.” Her foot tapping angrily, arms crossed over her chest, Michelle scowled.

  Michelle whipped around and briskly walked away from Eva’s office. Eva wrinkled her nose at her best friend’s back and sighed.

  After work, Eva spent that evening plastering on a smile as Michelle rambled about the possibilities of marrying a man like Mr. Tilly. She knew it would be pointless to even try to point out the obvious to her best friend, despite wanting to shake some sense into her. It never made a difference. Usually, she was only ever met with a snippy reply and three days of tense silence. Counting herself lucky that Michelle let their little, snarky remarks to each other that afternoon roll off her shoulder, Eva didn’t press the issue further.

  Aside from the Mr. Tilly conversation, Eva used to enjoy evenings like that. Boy talk, home manicures, showing off the newest fashion finds… a girls’ night. And they used to have them once a week. The pair considered the occasions their replacement for the family nights their other friends were starting to have after getting married and having kids.

  But Eva’s interest in them started to wane for weeks, what with her focus and longing to be somewhere else. And Michelle grew more and more frustrated about it.

  “Come on, Eva! You used to be fun!” she snapped.

  Eva set down her nail file and walked over to the fridge. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on with me. I think I just need to be alone.”

  “I think alone is the worst thing for you,” her best friend suggested. “Maybe consider talking to someone? Even a doctor about some antidepressants?”

  Eva absently nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

  “Maybe. Okay. You’re going to bed on a Friday night at ten. This is not the Eva I know.” Michelle’s tone was laden with irritation.

  “It’s just been a long week.”

  Eva left her roommate standing there, scowling, exiting the room before anything further could be said… by either of them.

  Five

  Ian

  The meeting went smoothly. Papers were signed. Ian and Kyle were the proud owners of their establishment’s building. A step they’d long awaited to take. Yet, Ian wasn’t as excited as he knew he should have been. He certainly wasn’t as visibly ecstatic as Kyle, who was ready to go out and celebrate, and wanted Ian to join in.

  “Let’s go have a drink,” Kyle suggested.

  “Sure.” By his tone, Ian was obviously not in the celebrating mood.

  Kyle stood as he slammed his hand down on Ian’s desk just hard enough to try to make a point. “Hey! We have been waiting for this since we first started dreaming up this whole business model… especially once we laid eyes on this place. And now that we’ve finally accomplished owning it, you act as if it doesn’t even matter to you anymore!”

  “I know. Trust me, it does. I am excited. Just back off. I don’t have to act like a frat boy and get drunk every time something good happens.” Ian slammed his laptop shut. “It’s only eleven in the morning. We’re in our mid-twenties. Do we really need to have a drink, or can I just be an adult and get things done that need to get done, and we can treat ourselves to a nice dinner or something later? We just took on a huge debt.”

  Kyle stood there, staring at him, looking as if he’d just lost his best friend. “Yeah. That’s cool. Adult away.”

  Ian didn’t look up as Kyle turned to leave. He didn’t know how to explain how he felt like his entire world was spinning out of control. He only knew he was overwhelmed by more than just the business. He was starting to feel lost in his life as a whole.

  Kyle spoke from the doorway. “This change came with those dreams of yours. Call a doctor, man.”

  Work was tense the rest of the day as Kyle stalked around him. His friend was obviously overcompensating by getting the employees and customers loudly excited periodically, then trying to get Ian to join in. However, Ian stayed in his office to avoid the show whenever possible, even after closing time, to avoid Kyle all together.

  About ten that night, Ian made his way home, relived to see Kyle’s car not in the driveway. Figuring he’d met up with some friends to continue the celebrations, Ian headed straight for his bedroom, tossed his laptop bag onto the chair, flopped into bed and pulled the covers up over his head.

  “Hello.” Eva’s voice was weary.

  She sat in one of the chairs near the window, basking in the sunlight comin
g in. Her feet were propped up, and she was dressed in lounge attire - sweats, baggy t-shirt and slippers.

  Ian pulled a chair up next to her and ran a hand through her hair, brushing a few disheveled locks away from her face. “Hello. You sound upset. What’s going on?”

  She sighed. “Reality. Apparently, what we have - what this is - means I’m going crazy.”

  “You, too?” Ian leaned back. “I’m being told to seek a professional.”

  “Same here!” She set her feet on the ground. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I love what we have, and I don’t want it to end, but this whole thing is distracting from my real life, my work.”

  Ian thought for a minute, his hand rubbing the stubble on his chin. “I know what you mean. I spend my days more excited to get back to sleep - back to you - than I get about things actually going on. I just bought the building my business is in today, and I didn’t even celebrate with my partner. We've been working toward this for a while now, and I just bit his head off to leave me alone afterward.”

  “Business? What kind of business?” she asked.

  He smiled. “My best friend slash roommate and I own a book shop with a café in it.”

  “That’s very cool. Wait!” Her smile slipped as her eyes widened. “I think this is the first time we’ve ever talked about our lives outside of the dream.”

  He chuckled. “I guess it is. I never even thought about it since I just considered you some girl in a dream.” He held his hands up, surprise pulling his brows up. “Not that I don’t know or anything. I’m not losing it, right?”

  “Same here … except you’re a guy and all.” He watched as her cheeks turned a shade of red.

  “And what if that’s all this is?” Ian sounded apprehensive. “What if all of this is just some insane dream?”

  She grinned, her hand coming to rest on his knee. “Then we have something more to chat about in the dream and that’s it. Does it matter?”

  “I guess not.” He shrugged. “So, you have someone in your life that’s freaking out about this whole thing, too?”

  She lifted a shoulder, pulling her hand back. “Yeah. My roommate. She and I work together, too. Honestly, I don’t think she’s as freaked out about my having these dreams as she is put out that I’m not free to be her wing man anymore.”

  He shook his head. “Yeah. Kyle was furious that I wouldn’t go have drinks in the middle of the day with him after we signed the papers to the building. He spent most of the day today passive aggressively trying to let me know that he didn’t approve of my lack of enthusiasm.”

  She perked up. “You just signed for it today? This is big news for you today!”

  He adjusted, sitting up in his chair, proudly. “Yes, we did.”

  Her brows furrowed. “And you’re not happy about it?”

  “No. I am.” Ian paused, his shoulders dropping. “It’s been our dream for a few years now. I guess you just have me pretty distracted.”

  The blush on her cheeks returned, deeper. “I know the feeling.”

  “You distract yourself?” He struggled to keep a straight face.

  It took her a moment to realize his joke. “Funny.” Slapping his leg, she stuck her tongue out at him. “I meant you distract me.”

  “Well, Ms. Eva …” he started.

  She interrupted him. “Thomas.”

  “What?”

  “Thomas. It’s my last name.” She smiled. “My name is Eva Thomas.”

  “Well, Ms. Eva Thomas.” He returned her smile. “My name is Ian Fuller. How about we go for a walk? It’s been a while since we’ve been to that park up the road.”

  “What park?” She looked at him.

  “Whatever one you want. This is our dream world, remember?” he said as he stood, holding his hand out to her. “But I vaguely remember us walking through one on one of the first dreams we shared.”

  She stood, placing her hand in his. “Alright.”

  Ian guided her by the hand as they walked up the road. Three blocks up, he covered her eyes and closed his own. When he moved his hands away, she saw the most gorgeous and colorfully designed natural garden park.

  Flowers blanketed the sides of pathways that wound through and around clusters of Ivy draped tress, crystal clear ponds and cozy green patches of soft, green grass. Butterflies floated through the air as bunnies hopped in and out of the floral growth. Ducks floated lazily across the still waters. And Eva’s mouth fell open.

  “If I could bring this kind of beauty to you all the time, I would.” He kissed her hand.

  She laughed. “And that is how I know you’re not real.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

  She kissed his cheek. Without warning, she bounded into the serene landscape, calling back to him in reply, “Because no man is really this awesome!”

  He watched her as she skipped down the paths, smelling the flowers, gazing over the pond, eating from the raspberry bush and posing with the statues. He was captivated, and he more than admired her youthful disposition. Something he seemed to never tire of night after night.

  As they lay on a blanket he set out for them on a hill, she watched the clouds float by, pointing out shapes and creatures she saw in them. He just watched her, wishing so dearly she was real.

  Eva rolled toward him, interrupting his thoughts. “What are you thinking?”

  He wasn’t sure what to say, not wanting to turn such a wonderful time sour. He just shrugged. “Stuff.”

  “I wish you were real,” she exclaimed.

  “Wait.” He sat up. “What?”

  She rolled on to her side. “I wish you were real.”

  He felt that tug, his words stopping on the tip of his tongue. His eyes widened a little as he shook his head. They hadn’t expressed those feelings, even if he’d felt it from the very first dream. Neither of them had said anything of the sort. They’d always just been in the moment.

  His eyes met hers, wanting desperately to hold on. Even if he knew that it was no use. The pull to the waking world always won.

  “Now?” She sighed.

  He reached for her, but it was too late. She faded away before his hands touched hers.

  When he woke, Ian’s arms were stretched out above him. He dropped them, balling his fists and slamming them down on the mattress on either side of him.

  A growling sound emanated from his throat. “Ugh!”

  His alarm was going off.

  Out of frustration, he reached over and threw it across the room. It hit above his dresser, raining broken parts down to the floor, taking with it a few items that had been sitting on the furniture’s surface.

  Kyle peeked in through the door. “You okay, man?”

  Ian threw himself back against his pillow. “Yep. Fine. Must have been having a nightmare.”

  “A nightmare?” Kyle asked. “As in no dream about that chick?”

  “Guess not,” Ian lied. “Maybe I finally broke the streak.”

  Kyle looked pleased. “Good. You still going into the café today to file the final paperwork?”

  “Yeah. I’ll do that first thing today.” Ian just wanted his business partner to leave. It wasn’t like him to lie to his best friend, but the feeling of helplessness he had over his situation tore him apart. Seeing Kyle still standing there, he sat up, running a hand through his hair. “Hey, excuse me, man. I need to get changed if I’m going to be at the county offices when they open. I don’t want to get caught in some massive line.”

  “Yeah. No problem.” Kyle shut the door behind him as he left, glancing back only once.

  Relieved he was gone, Ian changed and headed straight for his car. He drove down the street a few blocks and pulled over to the side of the road, allowing himself the few minutes of quiet he’d wanted when he woke.

  What is happening to me? This is ridiculous! He rested his head against the steering wheel. Taking a couple measured breaths, he picked up his phone and dialed Kyle’s number.

  Kyl
e answered. “Forget something?”

  “No,” Ian replied. “Do you remember Sharon’s friend, Julie?”

  “The hot one you refused to go on a blind date with two months ago?” he recalled.

  Ian closed his eyes. “Yes. That one. Is she dating anyone yet? Or can that blind date still be arranged?”

  “I’ll call Sharon and ask,” Kyle said with more than a hint of enthusiasm in his voice.

  “Thanks, man.” Ian hung up and dropped the phone in the passenger seat, leaning his head back against the headrest.

  Within a couple minutes, Kyle called back, much to Ian’s surprise. “Yeah, she’s still single. Sharon will set it up for tomorrow night. Sound good?”

  “Sounds perfect.” Ian hung up again. This time, he pulled away from the curb and headed into the café, determined to distract himself.

  Six

  Eva

  Eva woke with a feeling like the dream wasn’t supposed to end; like Ian had wanted to say something more. But as she came to the realization that light out, and her alarm was going off, she knew it was wishful thinking more than anything that she wanted to stay there with him.

  Her schedule that schedule had filled with meetings and errands. And in many ways, she was happy for that. Work was one of the few things that still had any effect on distracting her from thoughts of him.

  Granted, if she was able to have it her way, she would shirk all of it to sit and relive those moments with him. To think of his muscular frame, the edge to his strong jaw, the way his hair fell lazily across his forehead. The way her heart fluttered with every touch.

  But reality called every day. And as much as it felt like it was all falling apart and something was missing, she still needed to be responsible and at least try to keep it all up and moving.

  Once at the office, Sheila, a coworker, burst into her office. “Hey, Eva! So,” she took a seat, not waiting for an invite. “I was wondering if you changed your mind about that date with Jeff. He’s still available.”